Worry
by LeslieSophia
Summary: *Takes place during "Grief"* Emily and Aaron navigate the hostage situation in Cuba from both their ends with the help of a few memories from the past.
1. Part 1

**Hello, I'm back again! After re-watching the show, I've been inspired by many scenes in the episodes and thanks to your encouragement on my previous stories, I've been motivated to actually write them… Hope you enjoy! **

**This one is going to be a little bit longer so I've split it up into smaller chapters rather than a long one-shot. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Designated Survivor!**

* * *

-Emily-

"So, Havana." Emily lifted her eyes up from her phone, smiling as Aaron looked up from his file to meet her eyes. The National Security Adviser grinned back, leaning back in his chair as he regarded her.

"So, Turks and Caicos." He shot back, eyebrows raised slightly, a knowing smile on his face. But when before, there was always a hint of flirtation behind their casual exchanges, now there was an ever present suppressed note in his responses.

Emily's smile froze on her face. "Right, yeah. So Seth told you about it."

"Yeah, he seems pretty excited about it." Aaron noted calmly, standing up and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Emily nodded slowly, calculating her best response. Seth and Aaron were close and she didn't want to confide anything to Aaron that would put him in an awkward position with Seth. _But hadn't Aaron always been her closest confidante? When did things get so complicated?_

Thankfully, Aaron sensed her unease and spoke up, "It, uh, it isn't easy getting away from the White House." He said, breaking eye contact with her. He stared down at his desk for a second, his expression conflicted.

Emily cleared her throat, "Yeah, I don't know how I'm going to swing it." She said uneasily, watching as Aaron's eyes flickered back up to meet hers again. A strange look crossed his face as he straightened up, his eyes carefully watching her.

"I think you should go." He blurted, but his voice was flat, almost forced.

Emily stepped closer to him. "Do you?" She asked quietly.

_No_.

The word seemed to hang heavy in the air between them, a thick tension filling the room as they watched each other, waiting for the other person to finally say something to rid them of the eggshells they had been walking on around each other for the past year.

A quick knock startled Emily as Aaron's assistant poked his head into the office, "Hannah Wells is on her way to see you, sir."

"Thanks. Give us a second here." Aaron replied shortly, his eyes never leaving Emily's.

"I should go." The White House Chief of Staff said, but she made no move to leave his office.

"Em, we need to talk sometime." Aaron said seriously, stepping around his desk to approach her.

Emily crossed her arms, biting her lip as he drew closer, her eyes following the unbuttoned v of his shirt that dipped dangerously low on his sculpted chest. Not that she was noticing. But this man was dressed like he belonged on the front cover of GQ with his pink shirt and blue suit.

"I'm liking this no-tie thing. It makes you look much less intimidating." She teased, desperate to break the tension, but Aaron wouldn't let up that easily.

"I'm serious." He told her, getting dangerously close, "After I come back from Cuba, we need to sit down and have a drink. You'll ask me about Havana, and I'll tell you stories that will make you jealous. Then I'll ask you what's going on between us and make a joke. You'll laugh, and then we will work this out. Once and for all." Aaron reached out as if to touch her, but seemed to suddenly remember a certain Press Secretary before dropping his arm back to his side.

"Okay." Emily agreed softly, watching a slow smile work its way up Aaron's face. "Our usual place?"

He nodded, his eyebrows quirking up as he smirked, clearly happy to have convinced her. "Deal."

"Okay," Emily repeated, smiling as she took a step back to exit his office.

"Okay." Aaron echoed back, his expression lighter than she had seen for a long time. With one last look at him, she walked out of his office, a weight she hadn't known before, lifted off her shoulders.

…

-Aaron-

Annoyance crept up Aaron's spine as the Floridian Congressman blustered on about President Kirkman. At least in the White House, Aaron didn't have to deal with this blatant drivel. He took a breath as Hannah voiced her similar annoyance, giving him to push to speak out. Dear Lord, if this was what he had to deal with on this trade mission…

"How's that?" He leaned back in his seat, turning to face Hannah. The FBI agent was already pouring over a dossier.

"I still think I should shoot him."

Aaron chuckled but it was clear Hannah was done conversing.

_Yeah, this trip would have been more fun with Emily._ _Much better than Turks and Caicos._ Nothing against Seth, he was a good buddy of Aaron's, but Aaron just knew that Emily would have appreciated something more cultural and vivid than a getaway island resort. It would have been nice, a little political trade mission, helping Kirkman form his legacy, sunny weather, Emily by his side to help make sure everything went according to plan. Maybe they would have found time to sneak off for lunch in a small café, and squeezed in time to explore Old Havana. She would have also joked with him about the Congressman, or had a better retort than Aaron did.

The bus rolled to sudden stop and the next thing he knew, there were guys outside their vehicles with non-standard issue guns and a weathered looking man was shooting a hole into the bottom of their bus.

"I am General Ramon Bravo. And you are all prisoners for the Army for the Liberation of the People."

_Christ_.

Okay, Aaron 0, Turks and Caicos 1.

-Emily-

"Emily, you're needed in the PEOC." Sasha said breathlessly as she burst into Emily's office. The Chief of Staff looked up from her desk, alarmed by her assistant's urgent manner when Emily herself hadn't even received a single text alerting her of any crisis.

"I would go now." Sasha told her, eyes wide and Emily didn't need to be told twice.

"What is it about?" Emily asked, hurrying down the hallway, checking her phone for any missed messages.

"It's Aaron. I mean, it's Cuba. The trade delegation." Sasha said quickly. Emily stopped mid-stride, her heart pounding as her mind raced through all the worst scenarios.

Sasha, every the knowing expert of Emily, reached out and punched the button for the elevator, pushing Emily in as soon as the doors opened. "_Go_."

Emily swiped her ID card and threw one last panicked glance at her reliable assistant as the doors began to close.

"The President is down there already!" Sasha called after her.

Emily forced herself to take a deep breath, her nails digging into her palms as she clenched her fists, trying to stop her hands from shaking. It was like Afghanistan all over again.

_Well, hopefully not. _

* * *

_Emily coughed, her hand trembling as she pushed her hair out of her face. Rising to her feet, she flushed the toilet and stumbled out of the bathroom stall to wash her hands, gurgling water as she stared at her pale reflection in the mirror. _

_"Emily." A soft voice called out from the other side of the door and Sasha slipped in, holding out a stick of gum as she leaned against the sinks, watching her boss with a careful eye. _

_Emily chewed slowly, bracing her hands on the counter as she struggled to regain her composure. _

_"What-," She cleared her throat, "What are they saying?" She closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the news. She had left the room as soon as the general had announced that the President was save, but they were still confirming the American casualties in the area. _

_"It was a suicide bomber. Coordinated attack, they hit a market but the base is untouched. That's all they would say to me." Sasha reported efficiently and Emily let out a sigh, her hands coming up to cover her face. _

_"Thank God." She nearly sobbed._

_"Emily, he's safe." Sasha said soothingly, "There would have been no reason for him to leave the base." She pointed out. "Do you want me to get a hold of him?"_

_Emily let her hands fall from her face as she squared her shoulders, preparing herself to leave the sanctuary of the empty bathroom. She was currently the highest-ranking person in the White House. She couldn't be shutting herself in bathrooms after kicking out terrified interns and vomiting in the middle of an ongoing bombing situation. _

_"Please do." Emily said, nodding at Sasha, who gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before leaving to heed her boss' orders. _

_…_

"_Aaron Shore." His gruff voice in her ear was enough to relax the tension in her shoulders from the past two hours it took to reach him._

_"Aaron," She said, hating the small tremor in her voice. Maybe this phone call was a bad idea._

_"Emily." His voice softened, "Is everything okay?"_

_She laughed, but there was no joy in the sound. "I should be asking you that."_

_"I'm fine, Em." He told her evenly and she could imagine the soft smile on his face, his body turned slightly away from the others, a hand on his hip, a calm and logical figure amidst chaos. She could really use his grounding presence next to her right now with everything going on at the White House today._

_"I know that now." She said quietly. She could hear the clamor in the background, someone was calling his name._

_"Emily," He seemed reluctant to go, but Emily knew it was also selfish of her to keep him on the phone when she didn't have anything urgent to communicate._

_"Go, be National Security Advisor. Aaron- please be safe." She pleaded._

_"I'll see you when I get back home, Emily." He promised._

_Emily nodded, a small sigh escaping her. "Yeah."_

* * *

_Dear God._

Emily stared up at the PEOC screen, willing herself not to faint, vomit or cry. Aaron's face looked out at them, calm, but slightly irritated. Emily was probably the only one who really noticed the tension in his shoulders, the way his lips thinned in agitation. Miraculously, her knees didn't tremble under her skirt. At least Aaron was still alive and seemed unharmed.

"Emily." President Kirkman greeted her, as he turned to see her enter the room.

"Sir." She responded vaguely, a beat too late, her eyes locked on Aaron's frozen face on the screen. How was he still so heartbreakingly handsome in the middle of a hostage situation? She walked past her seat and straight to the screen, stopping a few steps behind the President. She crossed her arms tightly, trying to hold herself together.

"Play the video, General." Kirkman instructed.

"Yes sir."

Aaron began talking and Emily took an unconscious step forward, her eyes glued to the screen.

"…But now, President Kirkman props up a brutal and corrupt regime…"

_Yup, this was definitely worse than Afghanistan. _

"…The price for this treachery is $500 million by tomorrow at 2:00pm." Crap, she was supposed to be analyzing this as Chief of Staff and logic would dictate that ransom is a non-starter.

The look in Aaron's eyes reflected what she knew deep in the back of her mind. No way would the United States ever cave to a hostage situation like this. It would be political suicide, not to mention extremely difficult to get past Congress.

"-or the delegation of traitors will be execute."

Emily felt the color drain out of her face as her heart sank. Now she was beginning to feel light-headed again. When suddenly, the transmission was cut, bathing the PEOC in a wash of blue. Numbness was spreading over her body, the President and generals were talking again but her eyes were still locked on the screen where Aaron's face had been moments ago.

"Sir, we got President Ortega on the line."

Emily bit the inside of her cheek, refocusing on the situation. Aaron would be fine. The trade delegation would be fine. Between Aaron and Agent Wells, they had enough tactical and political savvy to keep them alive while the White House figured out a solution.

"Mr. President, how did this happen?" Kirkman walked back over to the screen and Emily felt a flash of rage as her senses came back to her.

"I don't know sir. This delegation was a closely held secret."

In a second, she found herself walking forward, her arms uncrossing as she approached the screen, "Maybe the LP has a spy in your administration." She accused.

_Okay, maybe not the best move as Chief of Staff._ But one way or another, she was going to get that trade delegation back, unharmed. She was not about to let Kirkman's legacy tank because of this. And she sure as hell wasn't about to lose their National Security Adviser before she could sit down with him and have a proper talk.

**Stay tuned for Part II to come tomorrow! **


	2. Part 2

**Pt II**

-Aaron-

Aaron listened closely as the rebels muttered among themselves, his heart sinking, glad that at least the majority of the delegation couldn't understand what was being exchanged in the far corner of the hut. He ran a hand over his face, sighing as his tired mind ran through the scenarios again. He knew Hannah's mind was also in overdrive beside him, likely running through more dangerous, more guns-and-flashbangs types of scenarios compared to his.

"What are they talking about?" Hannah's voice broke his train of thought.

"They're talking about killing us." Aaron responded straightforwardly. Hannah fell silent again and Aaron watched the General carefully. There was a lot at stake here, the killing of such a high-profile group of Americans on a peaceful trade mission was unprecedented; never mind the relations between America and Cuba, even on the international stage, the repercussions would outstrip any short-term gain the ELP would gain. No, they would get out alive, the odds were good for that, as long as no one did anything rash to provoke the rebels-.

"Excuse me?"

_Damn it._

"Hannah," Aaron hissed. Wells was a good agent, but a terrible soldier. Her unconventional, lone-wolf tactics may be good in covert ops, but her diplomacy and political sense left much to be desired, especially for an agent employed by the White House.

"What are you…?" But Hanna wasn't listening anymore. Aaron shot a quick glance at the rebels, watching as they turned to address the sound from their captives that dared to interrupt their conversation.

"Would you consider releasing the women and the elderly…?" Hannah asked innocently. Bravo and his rebels approached slowly, as the agent continued to talk.

_Here we go._ Knowing Hannah, she probably had a good plan, it would just have been nice if every once in a while, she would bring Aaron in on it rather than leaving him to clean it up after she was done and finished like some kind of an inattentive babysitter.

"The assistant to the National Security Adviser has a big mouth. Maybe I should shut it." Bravo snarled, now towering over them.

"She didn't mean anything by it." Aaron told them quickly in Spanish. Seriously, would it have been so hard for her to give him a heads up? This was a high-stakes, high-tension situation. There was no reason to rile up the rebels, FBI agent or not.

"Maybe I'll shut yours too!" Bravo shouted. _Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you, a little White House Official killing pegged to your name. Nothing shores up credibility than the blood of the US President's National Security Adviser on your hands. _

"Stop, please." Phillip Cross stood, arms raised. Aaron watched the scuffle that ensued, wincing slightly as the businessman took a gun to his face. The other members of the delegation cowered, scared to even draw a breath as Cross was dragged outside.

Aaron turned to Wells, "Hannah, you need to be careful. Once they figure out who you are, you'll be dead." He warned in undertone.

"They're not going to. I'm getting outta here." The agent replied adamantly. Aaron pressed his lips together, turning back to watch the other rebel soldiers stalk menacingly among the captives. The White House would've seen that ransom video by now. God, they were probably so worried. Kirkman would be feeling awful, blaming himself for letting something like this happen even if there was nothing he could have done to foresee this. And Emily… He could picture her anxious face, eyebrows knitted together, lips pressed into a thin line, holding herself taller and straighter than usual, quiet unless her input was required. He still remember Afghanistan, when he had received the unexpected call from Emily. He had been glad that she had managed to get through to him with all the chaos on both their ends. Her soft voice in his ear had grounded him, giving him the resolve to gather his composure and carry on.

* * *

_"I'm guessing the Bill of Rights wasn't on Governor Royce's summer reading list." President Kirkman remarked as he moved to take a seat at his desk. It had been nearly two weeks now, and Aaron still was unused to seeing the former HUD Secretary in the Oval, and even more unsettled to realize how comfortable he had gotten strolling into the Oval Office as Chief of Staff. _

_"The IAC-," Emily started, stepping forward and Aaron followed closely behind, the faint smell of her perfume teasing his senses. _

_"-The Islamic American Coalition." Aaron butt in, the winced slightly. What was it about her that made him want to feel so self-important?_

_"Uh-huh," _

_Emily shot him a quick glance that he ignored, still berating himself for the slip-up. He was a professional for goodness sakes. _

_"They're planning a peaceful protest outside City Hall in Dearborn, but they have obvious concerns." _

_"Sir, I think it's time to tell the Governor in no uncertain terms that we-," Aaron started but he was cut off by a calm Emily. _

_"What, with another phone call? No, we tried that, look how much good that did." Emily pointed out evenly and Aaron was struck again by how quickly she was picking up the ropes. They began to bounce ideas around, Aaron thinking out loud, _

_"Well, we don't have many friends in the state, maybe someone from the AG's office-," _

_"I can do it." Emily said confidently and Aaron turned quickly to look at her. _

What?

_"It has to be someone we can trust," She continued but Aaron was already tuning her out. _

No. No, it was too dangerous. She may have held her own in the White House brilliantly in the last few days, but there was no way he was sending her out there to Michigan. _He watched as the President pondered Emily's proposal, a sinking feeling in his chest as Kirkman smiled and nodded. _

_"You sure?" The President asked. _

_"Absolutely." Emily answered definitively with a smile that was not reflected on Aaron's face. He pressed his lips together tightly, unable to hold the skeptical look on his face at bay for much longer. But, the President did know Emily better than Aaron did and if Kirkman was sure… _

_But it didn't stop him from calling her before their estimated take-off, hoping to reach her before she left the ground in DC, and again when they received the call to report to Command Ops. As he waited outside the Oval for Kirkman to appear, Aaron stared down at his phone, his thumb hovering above the "call" button on the screen. It wouldn't hurt to try one more time, just in case they had landed early. Besides, who knew how long they would be caught up in the PEOC. Better to be safe than sorry. He had almost made it to the last ring before her voice mailbox when Kirkman stepped out. Aaron stuffed his phone away, almost guiltily as they walked to the elevator to take them down. _

_The moment his phone started ringing in his pocket, Aaron began to drown out the President's words, excusing himself to a quieter hallway to answer. _

_"Hey," He said gruffly, relief washing over him when he heard Emily's voice on the other side. _

_"Looks like I missed 3 calls from you while I was in the air?" Her tone was all-business, probably expecting some urgent update on Michigan or the White House. Not Aaron being…concerned about the situation. _

_Suddenly, Aaron felt stupid, his mind going blank for a second, struggling to find the words that would bridge the gap between personal concern and a professional (presidential) matter. Maybe the third call had been a bit too much. _

_"Yeah, I just wanted to say about Michigan…" He stammered. Jesus, he hadn't had this much trouble getting words out since he'd accidentally broken his abuela's favorite vase kicking around a soccer ball with his cousins. When he was 10. _

_"What about it?" Emily sounded so calm and put-together, it almost wasn't fair. _

_"Well, uh, it's-it's a situation out there and…" Aaron pulled his shoulders back as he strolled down the hall, desperate to regain some sense of composure and control over his uncertain voice, "and people should be… careful… when they're in a situation, you know?"_

_There was a slight pause on the other side of the line, "Aaron, are you worried about me?" Emily asked, realization evident in her voice as she caught on. _

_"What? No, no-," Aaron said quickly. Busted. Maybe this conversation would've been better. Well, given the way he was acting right now, it was probably good she couldn't see how flustered he was. Aaron needed to figure out how Emily managed to keep it together all the time. _

_"Look, I'm just saying… Good luck out there, all right?" He finished and hung up quickly, feeling foolish. _Seriously, what was it about her?

* * *

-Emily-

Emily was finding her judgement in the last two days to be seriously flawed. She had accused the Cuban President of having traitors in his midst, failing to defer to own President who was just a step in front of her. And recently, she had been hoping (praying) that the President would accept the ransom option, the non-starter, but only option that would get Aaron- the trade delegation- back home quickly and safely, ignoring all the political concerns and risk that Bravo wouldn't actually follow through. She really hoped that between Kendra, Lyor and the Generals, they would be able to find a solution that the gun-shy Kirkman would be able to agree to. And soon, because Emily could feel her worry begin to gnaw obsessively at her, fraying her ends, drawing her closer and closer to that same bathroom, puking her guts out from the anxious knot in her stomach.

She listened as Kendra, then Lyor listed their options again, further proving Kirkman's reluctance to stick to a sound decision, risking all the lives for another few hours without a plan in place. Emily sighed, "Okay, if it's ransom then it requires Congressional support. Senator Sanchez is our power broker here." Emily had spent the entire five hours she had been home going over ransom contingencies.

"She's on her way." Lyor assured her, watching her carefully. Kendra was doing the same and Emily realized that they had come to a stop in front of Aaron's office. A lump rose in her throat.

"We'll get Aaron back." Kendra said confidently, with a glance over her shoulder at the empty office.

"Yeah, safe and sound." Lyor added, making Emily question just how well she had been keeping her worry at bay in the White House.

"Let's make it happen." Emily said quietly, not quite meeting her colleagues' eyes. While their assurances did little to calm the nervous knot in her stomach, it was comforting to know they recognized her tension and were working to help her through it. Kendra and Lyor nodded, leaving quickly.

Emily stood in the middle of the hallway for a second, closing her eyes against the wave of nausea that swept over her. Almost 30 hours since she had last seen Aaron. The deadline for the ransom was approaching fast. Had the delegation been fed? Were the rebels beating their captives? Almost unconsciously, she turned and walked into Aaron's office, an immediate sense of calm flooding over her. Absentmindedly, she walked over to his desk, her fingers tracing the edge of the wood lightly as she walked around to his chair and paused. If she inhaled deeply enough, she could detect faint traces of his cologne, sharp and comforting. His desktop was neat, almost spares. In his absence, all files had been cleared from his desk, only a few Moleskins and low-level reports stacked to one side ontop his spare padfolio. An organized pile of reports from his deputy and papers requiring signatures were front and center of on his desk, awaiting the NSA Adviser's return. Emily fingered one of her favorite blue pens that Aaron kept "forgetting" to return to her. When he came back, she would buy him a dozen new ones of his own.

She looked across the office, noticing how the sun fell across the floors in a gentle light and smiled inwardly as she remembered how she had once teased him for angling his desk so weirdly in the corner, until he had smirked proudly and turned on the TV, revealing how the desk was at the perfect angle to watch a game without catching any glare from the windows.

"You're welcome anytime." He had told her, and Emily had actually taken him up on the offer on occasion, when the game had preceded the comfort of the couches in the Chief of Staff office.

Emily allowed herself one more quiet moment to herself in his office before squaring her shoulders and walking back out into the chaos.

…

-Aaron-

_He was remembering how they had exchanged texts while she had been in Michigan. He had fought the urge most of that afternoon after that disastrous phone call, but eventually, Aaron had given into his curiosity. _

Sitting in Havana now, with Hannah gone, Aaron had really let his mind wander. Michigan had been when he truly realized his admiration for Emily Rhodes went far beyond a professional respect. He worried about her for reasons other than containing a news cycle involving a scuffle between White House Senior Staff and a rebellious Governor.

* * *

_"Emily, we need to pull you out." He told her, bracing his hands on the desk on either side of the phone. _

_"No, that's not happening. I'm not done here yet." Emily responded firmly and Aaron held back a groan. She was almost as stubborn as he was. _

_"Look, it's too dangerous with the National Guard refusing to federalize." He insisted, "You need to come back and we'll figure out another plan like you said before." _

_"Aaron, we can't let them win this easily! If I go back now, it weakens Kirkman's position. We'll be telling the other 49 states that all it takes is a determined governor and a good relationship with the National Guard and then soon we'll have states flipping militias nationwide. I need to stay here and work something out. The President will agree with me." Emily said assuredly. Aaron clenched his jaw. There was a good chance Kirkman wouldn't back down. Politically, Emily was right. Logically and from a safety standpoint though…_

_"Let me go get the President." Aaron told her. Kirkman had been pulled aside by his wife moments before Emily dialed in. _

_He listened as Emily tried to convince Kirkman, knowing that Kirkman was likely to respond the same way Aaron had before. Her intentions were 100% true but she was about to be stuck in a war zone. _

_"No, I'm not willing to win a political fight if it puts you at risk. It's not worth it." Kirkman told her resolutely. Aaron nodded his agreement. Definitely not worth it. Emily didn't need to now it was him that fed those exact words into Kirkman's mind just 45 minutes before. It had been a cheap and dirty move, leading the President like that, especially when the former HUD Secretary looked to him for guidance and Aaron had taken advantage of that, but it had been necessary. _

_But she was so determined and if the politically savvy side of Aaron was in charge, he would know that Emily's idea of a sit-down was their best option and far too tempting for the Governor to refuse if presented the proper way. _

_Kirkman glanced up at Aaron, his eyes too trusting for a man in Washington and Aaron felt guilty. His apprehension conceded to his logical Chief-of-Staff side and he grimaced, nodding his approval. Emily's calls had been sound up to this point, and all other present options were too forceful and would result in serious blowback on the White House._

* * *

He wondered if Emily felt as worried watching the ransom video as he had been that day, gazing at her calm face on television, surrounded by the National Guard and a hostile governor. Between their calls and texts, Aaron had been keeping an eye on the TV whenever he had a spare chance, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, even if she was just in the background of Royce's press conference, just to see if she had at some point been hurt or handled.

The door burst open and Aaron was jolted from his thoughts as Hannah was dragged in.

_Damn it._

Aaron groaned quietly. This was not going to be good.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked quietly as the rebel leader stormed off to the General.

"I'm fine." Hannah said, her anger thinly veiled beneath her calm. Aaron listened as the rebels continued to talk amongst themselves angrily until another more irritating voice sounded from a far wall.

"We have nothing to do with her! You should separate the cooperative from the uncooperative."

Florida Congressman Blutner prattled on.

"Hey Congressman, why don't you sit down and shut up!" Aaron called roughly. Who was this guy kidding? Congressman Blutner was going to get them all killed unless he learned to hold his tongue. When they got back to DC, Aaron was going to make sure that man never stepped foot in a 5 mile radius of the White House ever again.

"Jackass," He muttered, for Hannah's ears only.

"I know, but he's not the problem, Aaron." Hannah said in a low voice, "Cross is."

Aaron threw a glance over at the businessman who was sitting quietly against the wall, nursing his broken hand against his chest. "What are you talking about?"

Hannah grimaced, "He's working with them, Aaron. I heard them talking outside."

Aaron let her words sink in, rubbing his knuckles as he pondered this unexpected development.

_Really, all he really wanted to do was get back and have that drink with Emily. _

_..._

-Emily-

"Mike, I need some help tracking down a guy Aaron mentioned… A Charles or Charlie-?" Emily approached the Secret Service agent breathlessly, having parted ways with Lyor moments ago as he hurried to run down his list of contacts he had in common with Philip Cross.

"Chuck Russink? This way please, Ms. Rhodes." Mike was already moving and Emily hurried after him down the twisting hallways that she had never even known led anywhere.

"How do I not know these paths-?" Emily panted as Mike flung open a door she had never noticed before.

"Trust me, Ms. Rhodes, if you think you know the White House… Secret Service and the NSA Adviser will always know it better." Mike said in his deep and infinitely wise voice. They descended a short staircase, Mike rapping unexpectedly gently on the door at the bottom of the stairs before swiping his ID and beckoning Emily in as if she were about to be led to the White House's best-kept secret treasure chest. Inside was a small room, tidy, almost cozy in a way the other West Wing offices would never be. There was a table in one half of the room and multiple screens heaped on top of each other in the other half, a dozen or so servers lining a wall. A quiet hum emanated from that side of the room and it would've been comforting if it weren't for the fact that those servers had the power to decipher any code, track any one person and detect any hack. So this was where Aaron was holed away whenever she couldn't locate him in the main hallways of the West Wing.

Emily continued to take in the room with wide eyes as Mike began to make introductions.

"Emily Rhodes, Chuck Russink. Chuck, Ms. Rhodes needs some help with the Cuban hostage situation."

Emily nearly jumped as she finally noticed the young man leaning back in a chair in front of the screens. She quickly stuck her hand out, "Pleasure. You can call me Emily."

"Nice to meet you. Love to be of any help possible. Thanks for knocking so lightly, Mike." Chuck lurched out of his chair to stand and greet the Chief of Staff.

"You bet, Chuck." Mike said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "I'll leave you to it then. Ms. Rhodes, if you need any help finding your way back, I'll have Peter look out for you." Mike said, referring to another Secret Service agent that frequented the outside of Emily's office. He closed the door securely behind him on his way out.

"Please," Emily gestured for Chuck to sit back down, "I was told by Aaron that you have a knack for… connecting the dots from people to situations…" She began, a little uneasily. She had never done anything like this before and honestly, all the black screens with the green flashing code was a little intimidating.

"If you're asking me to dig into someone, then I just need the name and I suppose we know it's related to Cuba so that's one variable we can plug in as well." Chuck told her, wheeling himself to one workstation.

"Okay, it's Philip Cross .Hannah just signaled us, we thinking he might be involved somehow." Emily said, watching as his fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up databases at an amazing speed. Chuck looked young, but it was clear that he was a genius in his field of work. In fact, he probably wasn't even that much younger than Emily, maybe a couple years, if that. She definitely got that awkward vibe that Aaron had mentioned to her. A different kind of awkward than Lyor was, Chuck was aware of his awkwardness and it showed, until he got into his comfort zone, then he was efficient and effective. Focused. Brilliant by the looks of it.

"So you're Emily Rhodes." He said casually and Emily tore her eyes away from the screens running through data points to look back at the young FBI agent.

"I'm sorry?"

A computer beeped and Chuck moved to insert a line of code before looking back at her thoughtfully, "No disrespect, actually, Aaron talks about you a lot." He said offhandedly.

_What was Aaron doing talking about her in this removed, secretive room?_

"Um…" Emily replied, taken aback by this revelation. Where was this going?

"Oh, no, It's nothing bad. He just really admires you, you know?" Chuck turned back to his monitors, scrolling through results as he chatted away, "Made me want to meet you in person with all the times he mentioned your name- wait, here, I think we got something."

Emily blinked, still dumbfounded by Chuck's seemingly harmless chatter.

"Cross' passport shows 6 visits to Cuba in the past two years." Chuck reported, oblivious to Emily's bewilderment from his previous words.

"To do what?" She asked quickly, returning to the issue at hand, but not before tucking her thoughts away to be revisited at a later time.

"I don't know, but I also ran his cell." Chuck wheeled back over to the other workstation. "Get this, Cross called Ramon Bravo 12 times since August."

"His captor? That doesn't make sense."

Chuck paused, "Unless they're in on this together."

"Cross is a billionaire. He doesn't need the ransom." Emily pointed out.

The FBI agent turned back to face her and she could see the gears turning in his head, "Exactly. Which is why the ransom could be a ruse." Emily listened as Chuck hashed out his theory, slowly understanding why Aaron had moved this kid from the FBI to the White House. Chuck Russink really was brilliant.

"Is there any way you can dump Ortega's phone too?"

"Yeah, I can look into it and I'll send the results to you as soon as I get it."

Emily nodded, resisting the urge to clap Chuck on the back like a coach to his athlete.

"Good work, Chuck. Thanks." She turned to leave, making a mental note to herself to keep tabs on Chuck. This guy was going places.

"Hey, Emily?" He called out and Emily turned, her hand on the doorknob.

"Yeah?"

Chuck leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach, "Aaron's a good guy." He said deliberately, eyebrows slightly raised.

Emily smiled back at him, "Yeah, I know."

…

_"I need you to be straight with me." She told him and he looked up, eyes welcoming as he drank in the sight of her, and her, him. Back when he still wore suspenders to work every day, she had always looked forward to seeing him at his desk at the end of the day, jacket off, sleeves rolled up. _

Emily closed her eyes, her fingers gripping her glass.

_"It's like we flipped a switch. And I'm not a switch flipper." _

The bar was noisy, but not obnoxiously so. Just the way they liked it.

_"Your boss is the most powerful man in the world. And he's going to do things that you might not agree with. And you need to be ready for that, because it is your job. Which, if I haven't mentioned before, you happen to be pretty damn good at." _

Seth hated coming here. Said it was always too uptight, borderline pretentious. He preferred the more congenial atmosphere of a local pub to relax. Emily always disagreed, finding pubs to be too raucous at times.

_"I'm saying that I don't know."_

She lifted her glass to her lips, unintentionally catching her eye on a handsome man across the bar, chatting with his friends. He flashed her a smile, but she looked pointedly away. Tonight was not going to be one of those nights.

_"And to think I was worried about you."_

She had been so worried the last few days, drowning in a sea of apprehension with no one to turn to. The last thing she wanted to do after the last few days was go back to her dark apartment, no matter how tired she was. There was something comforting about the bar, the business casual setting with people chatting away, their conversations based on the same continuing assumption that tomorrow was a new day, full of bright new opportunities no matter what went down in the earlier daylight hours.

"Hey, whoa, are at least going to let me catch up?"

Emily's hand paused midair, her mouth agape as she stared up at him in surprise. A comfortable smile danced across his lips as he took her empty glass from her hand and lifted it up for the bartender to see, signaling for two more. He was the last person that she expected to see here and the only person she ever wanted to see in their bar.

"You should be at home." Her voice came out as a sharp retort.

"I could say the same to you." He returned, setting her refilled glass in front of her, giving it a small clink before taking a hearty gulp. Emily also drank obediently, although her sip was much smaller than his.

He raised an eyebrow at her as she continued to stare, not quite believing her eyes. "Don't worry, I went home, showered, and got a change of clothes." He told her. Then his mocking expression softened, "But I promised you a drink and you damn well better believe that I'm going to follow through on that."

"Aaron," Emily sighed as a happy warmth filled her that had nothing to do with the scotch in her hands, "Aaron, I-,"

And before she could realize what was happening, his hands were gently cupping her face as he dipped his head down towards hers and he was kissing her, his tongue dancing lightly around hers, his scent enveloping her in the most delicious way that made the rest of the bar fade away. She felt the most she secure she had felt in the last three days, maybe even in the last few months as she melted into his touch.

He pulled away too soon, and Emily realized that somewhere in the middle of the kiss her hand had come up to wrap around his wrist, her fingers squeezing lightly as if to make sure that he was really there, safe and sound.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, his breath tickling her lips.

_I'm not._

"That's all I've been wanting to do for the past twenty hours."

_Oh._

"Only twenty hours?" Emily teased, her voice still a little unsteady as she released his wrist.

Aaron's eyes twinkled, his hands falling from her face, "Well, there was a time before that when I was more concerned about getting through the hostage situation alive. You can't blame a guy for trying to be logical about the way his mind processes things."

Emily shifted back in her seat, her hands returned to her tumbler of scotch. Aaron brought up a good point. They had to be logical about the way they went about this, and kissing openly in a bar wasn't one of them.

"Look, Aaron," She began but his hand came up to rest over hers, stopping her before she could say more.

"Emily, wait. We don't have to have the whole conversation now. I know I sure as hell am not in the right state of mind to be thinking this through clearly. I know you probably aren't either…" He caught the look in her eye, his mouth twitching in sympathy, a brief flash of guilt passing over his features, "I ran into Seth earlier when I first got back to the White House." He said in explanation and Emily let out a sigh.

"Let's just… Let's just have a drink. Enjoy that you got us the best spot in the bar," (the only spot that allowed for equal coverage of the sports screen and live news briefings) "and just chat. Or not. We can just sit here and watch the news in silence."

Emily snorted before she could stop herself and Aaron grinned over at her. They both knew that neither of them could make it through a single news cycle before blurting scathing comments or ridiculing the lousy coverage. But she had to agree with Aaron's suggestion Too much had happened in the last 48 hours that all she wanted to do was just relax and forget that she ever worked in the White House. She had her best friend back, and it was probably good to just revel in that for a bit before either of them said anything that couldn't be taken back.

She nodded giving him a light smile, taking a sip before turning her body to face him, crossing her legs so her foot dangled in the space between them, her knee inches away from his.

"So, Havana."

**Thanks everyone for the reads and reviews! I always love to read what you have to say or any inputs and suggestions. Speaking of which… there is a possibility for a part 3. Thoughts? **


	3. Part 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own Designated Survivor._

* * *

**Pt III**

-Emily-

"Hey, you still with me?"

Emily looked up from the few drops of amber left in her glass, realizing that it had been a while since she had said anything. "Yeah, sorry." She gave her head a little shake as if to clear her thoughts, "I guess I'm just more tired than I thought." She gave Aaron a quick smile and drained the last of her scotch as he looked on with quiet concern.

"When was the last time you slept?"

Emily scoffed, "Please, I should be asking you that. I spent the last 72 hours in the cushy White House while you were admiring the finer points of the Cuban jungle."

"Actually, I think they're more 'moist forest' than jungle and I slept on the plane, thank you very much." Aaron countered and Emily rolled her eyes.

"Oh, but look, I can see those dark circles under your eyes." She rebuked, pointing a finger at his face and Aaron grabbed it, trapping it down on the bar top under his warm hand, his eyes twinkling playfully. Emily pulled her hand back self-consciously as she caught sight of a group of House staffers entering the bar, currently too absorbed in each other to notice the two of them sitting at the bar. Aaron turned slightly in his seat, his eyes following hers and the smile dropped from his face, straightening his back as he turned back to her. Emily scrutinized him, perhaps a little too closely as he shot her a puzzled look.

"What?"

"I just- I can't believe you're actually back. It feels like just hours ago I was watching you read that ransom statement from the ELP." She shook her head, closing her eyes for a second, "Aaron I was-, _we _were all so worried."

His voice was quiet when he responded, "More worried than Afghanistan?"

Her head shot back up in surprise, meeting his steady gaze as she struggled to form a response. How did he know that his secret trip to the Middle East with the President had been on her mind in the last few days?

"You want to get out of here?" He asked in a low voice, leaning closer to her and Emily's stomach did a somersault as his eyes searched hers, the suggestion behind his question evident to her.

"Aaron Shore, are you propositioning me?" She tried to tease lightly but her eyes caught on his lips and she couldn't quite seem to pull them away as she watched his mouth curve into a small smile, reserved just for you.

"Are you accepting me proposition?

…

Emily laughed freely, brushing her hair out of her mouth as it caught in her lipstick, Aaron stumbling in after her, one hand resting lightly on her waist, the other reaching to flip on the entry way lights. Emily swallowed her laugh with a gasp, the joke he had just told her disappearing from her mind as her eyes took in her surroundings and she took a step further into his apartment, swiveling slowly until she finally spun on her heel to face Aaron who was busy shedding his jacket and tossing his keys into a bowl.

"Your apartment is _decorated_. Did the White House interior designers come here and do this for you?'

Aaron laughed, sauntering over to her as she continued to observe the details of his apartment, "You know I'm still a person outside of the White House, right?"

Emily let another laugh bubble out of her as she turned to face him, "You could have fooled me, with all the hours you spend there." But her laughed died again as her eyes met his hooded ones right behind her.

"But you…" Aaron prodded teasingly as Emily moved closer, closing what little space had been left between them. Her fingers skimmed up his shirt, the ever-present tie was absent again this even. She was actually impressed he managed to put on an ironed shirt after the whole ordeal. Her eyes followed her fingers up to his face again, a hand lightly cupping his cheek, (noting it had also been recently shaved) reminding herself again for the hundredth time that night, _he's back. He's here. _

Aaron made a move to pull away, trying to be a good host as he helped her out of her coat, "Glass of water?"

She waited until he had hung up her coat before sliding her hands up his arms, tightening her hold on him, "No thanks, I have what I want right here."

Aaron looked for a second like he was about to laugh or tease but then Emily angled her face up to his and his eyes dropped down to her lips, like a bumblebee to honey.

"This probably isn't the best idea," He murmured against her lips, giving her an out.

"Our judgement is definitely impaired," Emily agreed in similar fashion but her heart wasn't in it. She leaned up to press her lips against his, melting into his touch but Aaron pulled away abruptly after a second.

"What's the matter?" Emily asked, startled by his sudden movement. Aaron took a step back, a conflicted expression on his face.

"I, uh," Aaron brought his hands up to his face, his fingers rubbing against his eyelids before he looked back at Emily again, a somber look on his face. "I can't." He said, sighing again as he moved to sit on the couch, leaving Emily in standing awkwardly in the middle of his living room, still somewhat dazed by the sudden change in circumstance.

"I don't understand." She began slowly, "You were fine when we were kissing at the bar and you didn't seem to have an issue bringing me back here."

Aaron ducked his head as if collecting his thoughts, "Seth's my friend, Emily." He said evenly, finally looking up at her after a pause.

Her head jerked back, her brows drawing together as she tried to understand, "And what am I? Just some girl you picked up at the bar after a dicey little vacation in Cuba?"

Aaron reached a hand out to her comfortingly, "No, but you just broke up with Seth, we need to consider the optics of this-,"

"_The optics_? Damn it, Aaron! Can't you just skip the politics for once?" Emily exploded, pulling away from him, "What is it you want? First it's to talk, then you said we don't have to and you kiss me and invite me to your home, and now you just want to, what? Sit here and chat like nothing's going on? Aaron, it's _me._ It's _us._" She implored as Aaron watched her with sad eyes.

"Or," She said raising her eyebrows, taking a step back from his burning gaze, "You can just go sleep with Seth since you care so much about him." She said loftily, turning to walk out of Aaron's (well-decorated) apartment.

"Wait, Emily." Aaron said hastily, standing as his fingers caught her elbow before she could move any further away. She turned back to him, her jaw set as she waited for him to speak.

"I-," He paused again, looking away as he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck, "I haven't stopped thing about you since I landed in Havana-, hell, since you walked into the White House after the attack on the Capitol. But Seth is our friend, and you two are close. I just don't want to get in the middle of anything here."

Emily looked back up at him, letting his words hang in the air between them as she met her eyes in a fierce glare, refusing to back down. But realization slowly dawned on her as she set aside her irritation at being pushed away so unexpectedly and took a closer look at Aaron's slumped shoulders and bleak expression.

"You feel guilty. To want this. To want _us._" She said slowly, sitting down on the couch and Aaron blinked at her sudden change in resolve, following her and sitting down on the coffee table facing her. His elbows resting on his knees turning his knuckles over in his hands, his eyes watching his hands as they sat in silence for a few moments, letting her words sink in.

"Aaron, listen to me." Her hand on his jaw coaxed his eyes back up to hers, "You're not getting in the middle of anything here, okay? Yes, Seth and I grew closer after you left the White House but it's always been me and you." She leaned in closer, to him, their noses brushing and Aaron's eyelashes fluttered against her skin as he closed his eyes.

"From the very beginning, it's been us. You and I both know it and I think deep down, Seth's always known it too." She whispered.

Emily barely had time to draw a breath before Aaron's head dipped forward and captured her lips in a fierce kiss. She instinctively shifted forward on the couch to get closer to him, but Aaron stood, pulling her up with him, never breaking the kiss and his fingers tangled in her hand as he cradled her head tenderly, his tongue slipping between her lips. Emily tugged his shirt from his pants, relishing in feeling of her fingers feeling the smooth skin of his stomach, confirming her secret assumption that he had been hiding rock-hard abs under all his suits and suspenders all along. The next instant, Aaron's hands had pushed her blazer off her shoulders, depositing it onto the couch and before she knew what was happening, he was stooping, his hands brushing over the back of her thighs, when suddenly he stood again and she found herself in his arms, her legs wrapping around her waist as she yelped at the sudden change in altitude.

"Smooth," She commented, her arms snaking around his neck, unable to fight the smile breaking across her lips.

"Hm," She felt him smiling against the skin of her neck as he walked them further into the apartment towards his bedroom.

* * *

**It's backkkk! I agonized for a long time whether or not to add Part III for fear that I would ruin this fic, but I got it all planned out, with at least a Part IV and maybe V to come as well (we'll see how the creativity flows). **

**Please let me know your thoughts and if you have any suggestions or improvements! **


	4. Part 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own Designated Survivor._

* * *

**Pt IV**

-Emily-

After, they lay in each other's arms, legs tangled under the covers, Emily's head resting on Aaron's shoulder, tucked into the spot between his collarbone and chin while her fingers sprawled over his chest, just above his beating heart. His fingers stroked lazily through her hair, neither wanting to lose this rare moment of waking peace to sleep. So Emily followed the steady beating under her fingertips, ticking away the time of their stolen moment, away from responsibilities, from national and international crises, into the still darkness of the night. For a second, Emily could almost pretend that they were two normal people with uncomplicated pasts and regular 9-5 jobs, unaware of the perils that awaited their nation at every corner. Maybe that was why she felt it okay to whisper the thought she had pushed down into the depths of her mind for so long now to avoid thinking about it.

"He really misses her." She said, her voice soft like the rustle of sheets, so quiet she wondered for a moment if she had actually spoken out loud. But then Aaron's arms tightened slightly around her and she felt his head turn to press his lips to her hair.

"I know."

She shifted closer to him, letter her eyes flutter shut, feeling a sudden loneliness creep up on her despite her proximity to him.

"How're you holding up?"

Emily's eyes flew open, and she stiffened against him. This was what she had been avoiding for the last ten weeks, the reason why she had never talked about Kirkman's grief in any sort of personal context.

She should have known that voicing her observation would inevitably lead to the spotlight of attention on herself. Seth had bought her dismissal of his concern after she spent an evening admitting her sadness to a half-empty bottle of scotch, claiming that her work would get her through her grief, and she thought she had almost escaped that same conversation with Aaron.

"I'm…" She trailed off, thankful Aaron couldn't see her face as she struggled for a response. The repeated chorus of "I'm fine" died on her lips. Because honestly, she wasn't just fine. Alex Kirkman had been like a sister to Emily and even 10 weeks later, she hadn't properly grieved. That's why she refused to fault the President for taking his time to mourn and get back on his feet and push initiatives, even if he hadn't seen it as actual grieving. Emily had done everything in her power to get him through it, taking over the planning of the First Lady's funeral. She had picked the headstone, arranged for the eulogy and ordered the flowers, even going so far as buying Penny a black dress for the day of, arriving early that morning to dress her and make sure Leo's shoes were polished and matched his pants and belt.

"I'm coping." She said softly. Aaron propped himself up on his side, drawing his arm out from under Emily so she was forced to look up at him as he hovered over her. But she avoided his eyes, instead, slipping out from under the covers and pulling on his discarded shirt. "I'll be right back," She mumbled, padding softly over to the bathroom without a second glance at him.

-Aaron-

He stayed on his side, watching Emily's silhouette disappear into the bathroom. Aaron sighed, running a hand over his face, blaming himself. Not just for asking the question, but for not asking it sooner. Somewhere around 9 weeks ago. He had spent the last two months watching as she ran herself into the ground supporting the Kirkmans, the administration and the entire nation as they grieved. He had been worried, but it hadn't been his place to inquire any further than what he thought was appropriate for a friend. He'd handed off that "beyond friends" responsibility to Seth.

Perhaps that was his first mistake.

His second mistake was not questioning it immediately after.

* * *

_He turned the corner quickly, although skidded was the more appropriate descriptor as a nurse gave him an admonishing look for running through her halls so carelessly, but he didn't give her a second thought. Aaron had left for the hospital as soon as he had received the phone call from the Secret Service. Both the President and Emily were still here, so logically, that was where he was needed the most. Secret Service could lead the investigation for now. First, he needed to get to the President before the news broke. He rounded the next corner sharply and there she was, walking behind Carey Morgan, the mother of baby Grace, as they headed to the nurses' station, the young mother taking a clipboard of papers from the nurse as Emily looked on. Judging by her poise and the unmarred expression of joy on the Chief of Staff's face, she hadn't received the news about the accident yet. _

_Another nurse appeared to lead Carey to the NICU and Emily began to follow her, but was quickly intercepted by two Secret Service agents who pulled her to the side. Aaron quickened his footsteps, desperate to get to her in time and it seemed like slow motion as he watched the agents deliver the devastating news to her, watched as Emily's face fell blank as she listened, blinking quickly while she tried to wrap her mind around the terrible accident. He must have said her name because then she was turning towards him, her face crumbling, and he sensed it before the agents could see what was happening as her knees gave out from under her and he was there the next instant, bundling her into his arms as she folded against him, her downward motion pulling them both to the ground as the agents hovered over them, their hands outstretched seconds too late. _

_Her hands fisted in his coat, her body shaking uncontrollably as he cradled her head to his chest. Dimly, he was aware of a few nurses helping to pull them up and guide them into an empty room while the Secret Service stationed themselves outside of the room, allowing them privacy. A brief flash of anger towards the agents crossed Aaron; they should have known better than to give that news to someone so close to the First Lady in the middle of a public hallway in the hospital, but his anger subsided quickly into concern when Emily began to sob so violently- or maybe she was hyperventilating at this point- that she began to gasp for breath. _

"_Shhh, breathe, Emily. Just breathe." He soothed, his heart breaking with every ragged breath she took, his eyes moistening at every anguished cry she muffled into his chest. He tried to pull back to get a look at her, but her grip on him was ironclad, hanging on to him like he was her lifeline. _

"_Aaron," Russell appeared in the doorway, the President's Secret Service personal detail for the day. "POTUS is in a private room right now and they're about to sedate him if you wanted to go see him first." _

_Aaron nodded to the Secret Service agent, glancing down at the brunette head against his chest as he slowly pulled his arms from around her, but he stopped before his hands could leave her shoulders, noticing how still and quiet Emily had suddenly gotten. The occasional sniffle was the only thing that indicated to him that she hadn't fallen asleep. _

_He looked back up at Russell, his arms sliding protectively back around her back, resuming their comforting soothing motions and the agent nodded in understanding, his expression more somber than Aaron had ever seen. _

"_Perhaps later."_

…

_He wasn't sure how long they had stayed in that position, silent, the fluorescent lights casting a surreal glare to the room until the Secret Service stepped back into the room, informing them that the President was ready to go home-he had to get back to his children. They were shuffled quickly through the empty halls of the hospital, ushered into the motorcade, a wall of agents blocking them from the public eye and snuck just as covertly into the White House, where the motorcade split off to bring POTUS back to the Residence while Emily and Aaron were dropped off in the West Wing. The whole time, Aaron hadn't even gotten a glimpse of the top of Tom Kirkman's head, much less then man himself and Emily had been buried in Aaron's side through it all, never revealing her face to him much less anyone else. He couldn't even tell if she was still crying- his shirt was already soaked through and the Kleenex box produced out of thin air by an agent was half empty. He figured she was somewhere between total exhaustion and shock judging by her limp figure as she leaned against him in the car. _

_The SUV door swung open and Seth's ashen face appeared, helping Aaron as they guided Emily out of the car, and then they were gone, moving quickly down the hallway, Seth's arm around her hunched shoulders, his head bent towards her bowed one, without even a backwards glance at Aaron. He stood at the doors, the emptiness in his chest all-consuming, barely feeling the chill from the absence of Emily's body heat and the exposure of the wetness of his shirt to the draft of the hallway. He caught the eyes of an aide, staring curiously at him as she passed by and he turned hastily to make his way to his office, a hand roughly loosening his tie. _

"_Get me the Director of the Secret Service and the FBI agent in charge of the investigation. I want a briefing, _now_**.**__ And where is Kendra?" He demanded, throwing a quick glance at his assistant's desk but he stopped quickly in his tracks. "Where's Anthony?"_

_The intern sitting at the desk jumped nervously to his feet, "Uh, Ms. Daynes is still at the scene-uh, site- and Anthony took a, a break, I'll go get him-," The young man scrambled in the opposite direction and Aaron shook his head, slamming the door to his office shut as he pulled his tie from his neck, throwing it to the side and letting out a shaky sigh now that he was finally alone. _

"_Christ," He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, resisting the urge to throw or kick something as a wave of emotion washed over him. _

…

_Five hours later, Aaron was still in his office, staring at the crumpled shirt he had been wearing before as it hung limply next to his coat. The file sat open on his lap, forgotten. Just another piece of paper filled with unsatisfying details. Hours of briefings, calls and evidence reviews all revealed one thing: preliminary findings showed no signs of malignant intent; there was nothing indicating a pre-meditated murder, no chatter about a planned hit. All the FBI and Secret Service could tell him was that it was all the work of a lousy cell phone and a careless truck driver. No matter how hard Aaron pushed the Directors, no matter how many evidence reports or security cam footage he requested, the facts stayed the same. In the morning, he would have to face POTUS and tell the leader of the free world that his wife had been killed in a texting-and-driving accident. _

"_Shit." Aaron closed the file and threw it over his shoulder and onto his desk, not noticing it slip off the edge of the dark wood and onto the floor as he buried his face in his hands. _

_The sharp slap of the folder landing back on the top of his desk a minute later startled him and his head shot out of his hands to see the unexpected guest in his office. No one was due in for another few hours and it was past the hour where anyone pulling a late night would have stayed. _

"_You look like hell." _

_Emily had a small smile on her lips but the humor didn't reach her eyes, which looked hollow, still puffy from crying. _

"_Emily. What are you doing here?" He asked in disbelief. Seth had taken her straight home almost immediately after they had gotten back from the hospital and Aaron hadn't expected to see her set foot inside the White House again so soon. _

"_I couldn't sleep." She said, avoiding his eyes as she sat down in front of his desk. _

"_You don't have to be here right now," He told her gently, but Emily shook her head, her eyes focused on her fingers twisting in her lap. _

"_I couldn't just stay home. Seth… Seth was sleeping so peacefully and I didn't want to wake him but I wanted to be here just in case…" She lifted her head to look over his shoulder to the window behind him, "Penny tends not to sleep well after a bad night and I wanted to make sure I was here if she needs anything." _

_Aaron leaned in, resting his elbows on his desk as he folded his hands in front of him, his heart twinging at her sentiment. He wasn't sure how to reply to that, but thankfully, Emily saved him by changing the subject. _

"_So," she said, arching an eyebrow, jutting her chin towards the blue file, "what did you learn?'_

_Aaron gave a heavy sigh, "Nothing. They're looking to rule it an accident but it's still early." He watched her as her eyes were drawn back towards the window. The sky was beginning to turn a bleak gray as the day crept up on them. Soon, they wouldn't be able to hide in the quiet, slumbering hours of the night. So Aaron knew it was now or never to ask the question, to extend his shoulder for support or comfort and breach the invisible line that had left them strictly friends. _

_But even though Seth wasn't there, his presence seemed to weigh between them. A divide between Emily and Aaron, reminding Aaron that no matter how similar he and Emily were, no matter how well they got along and always seemed to know the other person better than themselves, Emily belonged with Seth and Aaron was now the outsider. But then he remembered the feeling of her against him as he held her in his arms, trying to comfort the sobs that wracked her body, how natural it had been for him to seek her out, how quickly his mind had gone to her safety in Michigan, across any crowded room, really during any waking moment of his day. Their early days in the White House together, rebuilding the US government from the ashes up. That hadn't been nothing. _

_So, he opened his mouth to ask her, to cross that suffocating divide but the words never left his lips. She cut him off before he could disrupt the new and unspoken rules of their changed relationship. _

"_You should go home. Get cleaned up, get a couple hours' rest before the day starts. We need to take care of ourselves before we can take care of the President." _

_The corner of his lips upturned into a half-hearted smile, "Is that Emily Rhodes talking or the Chief of Staff's orders?"_

"_A little of both." _

_A polite knock caused them to break eye contact as Aaron straightened up and Emily twisted to see who was at the door. _

"_Ms. Rhodes, I'm sorry to interrupt but Penny Kirkman is awake and I told her you were in the building, like you asked me to." Aaron recognized the agent at the door as one that was commonly detailed to the Residence and the First Family. "She wondered if you would come sit with her until she fell asleep so she doesn't have to wake the President." _

_Emily got up quickly, a brokenhearted look flickering over her face for a second, "Yes, of course." She turned back to Aaron. "Go home, that's an order. I'll see you in a few hours."_

"_Yes, ma'am." Aaron promised, watching somberly as she walked to the door. He turned to reach for his coat. _

"_Hey Aaron?" Emily paused in the doorway, her hand resting lightly on the door frame as she lingered in the threshold. _

_Aaron straightened, trying to appear nonchalant as his heart pounded under her heavy gaze and timid tone. _

"_Thanks for being there for me." Her lips pressed together in a small smile before she left with one last look at him and that was the last he had seen of her alone for the weeks to come._

* * *

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Aaron looked up as Emily walked back to the bed, slipping under the covers he held up for her.

"I'm sorry." He said, the words coming out of his mouth like a whoosh of breath.

She looked up at him in surprise, caught off-guard by his sudden apology.

"For what?"

He sighed, sliding down into the pillows as she settled in next to him, her head resuming its position on his chest so she could feel it rise and fall as he spoke.

"I never checked in on you after that night. I figured Seth had it all under control and I just sat back and watched you work yourself to the bone trying to do everything yourself. I wasn't there for you."

"Wow, Cuba really made you rethink a lot of things, huh?" Emily joked lightly, but quickly turned serious, propping herself up on his chest so their noses were only a few inches away from each other, "it's okay, Aaron. What matters is you're here now." She leaned in and kiss him with such conviction that it made him forget his regrets for the moment, especially when she swung her leg around him to straddle his lap.

While the first time had been all about need, filled with frantic kisses and the long-awaited release of pent-up sexual tension, the second time was slower, more deliberate. All sweet nothings whispered under their breaths and drawn-out kisses as they took their time with each other, their hands gentle as they explored skin like they had all the time in the world.

A quiet sigh escaped Emily when he pushed into her slowly (dare she say lovingly?) as his fingers swept the hair off her face, his eyes staring deep into hers as he began to move inside her. His fingers cradled her face delicately as if he were afraid if he applied too much pressure, she would disappear into thin air like she was just a figment of his imagination. They came together, her whimpers swallowed up by his lips, her back arching off the mattress as he held her close to him like he would never let her go again.

* * *

**Wow, this one-shot has evolved very quickly into a two-part and now part five is coming soon! Thanks to everyone who has kept reading and for all your reviews and support! **


	5. Part 5

_Disclaimer: I don't own Designated Survivor._

* * *

**Pt V**

-Emily-

Emily cracked an eye open, daring herself to sneak a peek at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Part of her knew she should get up and go home, make sure she was ready for the day, especially with the rocket launch scheduled to liftoff in the morning, but she was so comfortable wrapped up in Aaron's arms that she couldn't bring herself to move. So she snuggled deeper into the covers, feeling him stir against her back as she shifted impossibly closer to her and she traced the arm slung around her waist to his fingers which she laced between her own, turning them over in her hand thoughtfully.

Just 24 hours ago, she wasn't sure if she was getting Aaron back and she was promising to review the Turks and Caicos brochure with Seth. Now, she was feeling Aaron's soft breath against her shoulder and beginning to doze off again. Really, she shouldn't be so surprised about ending up in Aaron's bed. When she thought back on it, it was bound to happen at some point, although neither of them would have expected it to happen so far down the road.

* * *

"_I can do it," Emily volunteered confidently and she felt more than saw Aaron stiffen next to her, a painfully neutral expression sweeping over his face, the expression he hid behind whenever a decision was made that he didn't fully agree with. True, going to Michigan during this tenuous time was risky, but absolutely necessary to preserve the presidency against Governor Royce's rogue actions. In a whirlwind, she found herself heading out of the White House and on a plane headed to Dearborn. It wasn't until they were taking off that she realized she hadn't spoken a single word to Aaron after they had left the Oval Office. When she powered on her phone again, she saw a couple of texts from her assistant and 3 missed calls from Aaron. Frowning, she checked her voicemails and saw that the inbox was empty, but 3 calls seemed to point to an urgent matter so she dialed quickly as she watched the tarmac out her window. He answered promptly after 2 rings. _

"_Hey," _

"_Looks like I missed 3 calls from you while I was in the air?"_

"_Yeah, I just wanted to say, uh," Aaron's voice faltered and Emily tensed. She'd never heard him sound so uncertain with his words before. _

"_About Michigan…" _

"_What about it?" She asked, trying to hold back the anxiety that had been teasing at the back of her mind ever since she had volunteered herself. Had something happened to while they were in the air to Kirkman?_

"_Well, it's a situation, and people should be…careful when they're in a situation, you know?" He said and Emily couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at the stammering of the typically smooth Chief of Staff. It was like he was a teenage boy asking his crush out on a date. _

_Then realization began to dawn on her. Could the suave, arrogant Aaron Shore, who effectively talked her out of her engagement be concerned for her well-being?_

"_Aaron, are you worried about me?" _

_It wasn't so much his reply as his haste to backtrack his words that gave her just the answer she needed. _

"_What? No, no- Look, I'm just saying…" There was a pause as he seemed to grapple for words, "Good luck out there, all right?"_

_The call ended abruptly and Emily blinked, stifling the amused expression on her face as she digested this newly uncovered piece of Aaron. She bit her lip, trying to swallow her bemused smile and calm the fluttering in her stomach that had nothing to do with her concerns about Michigan. _

_He kept surprising her that day, randomly texting her between phone calls to make sure she was okay. She would have chalked it all up to professional concern if it wasn't for the face that he was her #1 morale booster that day. Even after she got back from Michigan, he had been the person she had automatically sought out for comfort, confiding in him her fear that Tom Kirkman had changed._

* * *

Looking back now, she should have seen it in the look of his eye as she entered his office that night, the way he smiled at her when she teased him about being worried, his gentle tone with his begrudging compliment as he steered her disappointment into acceptance of the new confines of the Presidency. But it had been too soon after her break-up, and the dust was still settling on the ruins of the Capitol bombing site. Now she knew that Michigan changed them. From then on, they had been inseparable.

Emily was dragged out of her doze when Aaron's phone began ringing from its place on the nightstand and Aaron jolted awake behind her, untangling his arm to reach around Emily, groping blindly for it.

"Aaron Shore," He grunted, sitting up and running a hand over his face. Emily turned on her side to face him, waiting patiently as she strained to hear the voice on the other end. Aaron sighed heavily, "Yeah, I'll meet you there." He said before hanging up and tossing his phone onto the rumpled bedspread.

"What is it?" Emily asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Aaron looked at her apologetically, throwing back the covers as he got out of bed. "That was Hannah. She needs me at the FBI headquarters. She wouldn't tell me what it was but it sounds pretty urgent."

"Maybe about the care package to the International Space Station?" Emily sat up as well, reaching for her phone while Aaron began picking up the discarded clothes from the floor, placing Emily's on the foot of the bed and dumping his into the hamper. Emily slipped out of the covers and began straightening the sheets as Aaron began throwing pillows back onto the bed.

"She usually isn't very specific but generally, when she calls before 6am, it's never anything to good." Aaron shook his head, pulling the covers up on his side, mirroring Emily's movements. "And to think, she _just_ got her badge back."

"Well, speaking of people working in that little hideaway room, I met Chuck the other day. He's the one that helped us find the connection between Ortega, Cross and Bravo."

"Yeah, brilliant kid." Aaron commented absentmindedly.

Emily raised an eyebrow at him, "He said something about how my name seems to come up a lot down there?" She said delicately, watching with mild satisfaction as his ears turned pink. Aaron busied himself with smoothing the creases on the bedspread.

"I'm going to hop in the shower quick, then I'll drop you off at your apartment before I head to the FBI." He told her, stealing a quick kiss before escaping to the bathroom.

…

Emily eyed the stacks of files still sitting on his desk, waiting for his review and signature before he could fully retire for the night. She didn't envy all the work he had to catch up on after his return from Cuba, coupled with the full day spent at the FBI interrogating Damien with Hannah. Before long, she heard the pattern of his footsteps on the hall carpet and turned her head slightly to the side so she could see him walk into the room from her peripheral.

"Emily." He faltered in his steps when he saw the familiar brunette head sitting across from his desk, fiddling with a box in her hands. "I thought you'd already gone home."

She gave him a look as if he should know better, which he conceded with a tilt of his head.

"Have you seen this?" She spun the laptop sitting in front of her and played the video of Kirkman and Evan Beeman for Aaron.

"This is the video that went viral? Damn it." He muttered, sitting down in his chair.

"Yeah," Emily said grimly, closing the laptop.

"Does POTUS know?"

"Not yet. He's having dinner with his daughter so I thought I'd wait a little bit before I inform him. It's going to hit all the major news outlets tomorrow morning, Aaron." Emily crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. "I don't know what to do. Part of me just wants to let him have a quiet night in with his children and shield him from all this. I mean, he just had a breakthrough or something in his therapy because he's getting back to himself now, but I'm afraid that's just my own… grief or whatever talking." She said the last part flippantly, avoiding Aaron's eyes, not wanting to see the same sympathetic look on his face that clouded many of the faces around the White House as of late.

"Hey," Aaron prompted her gently and Emily reluctantly turned to look at him. His eyes searched hers, the usual hard lines of his face softened, but his tone was still serious. "It's your job to protect the President. Not just Kirkman, but the office he holds as well. And you and I both know that means telling him about the leaked video and preparing him for the news blast that's going to hit tomorrow morning, attacking his character.

Emily nodded, slowly uncrossing her arms, "You know, I think we had this conversation in your office before." She pushed the box she had been fiddling with to the center of his desk and watched a grin spread over his face as he saw the blue pens that always seemed to disappear off Emily's desk and settle on Aaron's.

"Different office back then. I'm just giving you the same advice you gave me when I was Chief of Staff. Except this time, I actually expect you to follow it. This box is half-empty." He remarked, peering inside.

"Yeah, I kept half for myself. In case you lose all yours and need to "borrow" more from me."

Aaron smirked at her, "They work better when they come from your desk drawer."

* * *

"_Hey do you have an extra pen? I think I lost mine." _

_Emily pulled out a pen from under her notepad and handed it to Aaron, "I've got a blue one, is that okay?" _

"_The President will see you now," Wyatt told them, popping his head into the door of the office._

"_Thanks," Aaron nodded to the aide and turned back to Emily and Seth, jerking his head in the direction Wyatt came in the universal signal of 'let's go.'_

"_Aaron, listen, I can explain about the memo," Emily walked quickly to catch up to his long strides as Seth lagged behind to talk to Laura, one of the staffers in communications about his next presser. _

_Aaron held up a hand, waving her off, "That's not necessary, Emily."_

"_Aaron, wait. Aren't you the least bit curious why I wrote those things in the first place and put my career on the line? Look, it was a long time ago, and if I had known that it would jeopardize the Presidency-," _

"_Emily, stop." Aaron stopped in his tracks and Emily braced herself for his anger, for some scolding. She deserved it, having been so careless. But instead, when he turned to look at her, his expression was calm, patient. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. I trust that you knew what you were doing when you wrote that. Look, we've all done some rash things in the past that we thought were right in the moment, myself included. But right now, we need to focus on how we're going to protect POTUS from these leaks." His eyes were understanding, trusting as he waited for her assent and she found herself getting lost in the pools of warm chocolate brown. _

We._ There was that word again, assuming responsibility for the actions she took before she met any of these men she was now surrounded by. _We_ pissed off the Senator. Since when had they become such a fluid and integrated team that her problems automatically became their problems to hitch their wagons onto? Bringing each other coffees and lunch, spending all her time waiting in the Chief of Staff office for him to the point that people no longer went looking for her in her office, they went straight to Aaron's whenever they needed her. _

"_Are we going in?" Seth asked, approaching the pair that stood huddled in front of the doors to the Oval. _

_Aaron cleared his throat, "Yeah." He pushed open the doors with one final glance back at Emily. _

…

_She waited tensely in his office for him, twisting her fingers as she looked around the dark-paneled office, at the high-backed chair she had once aspired to sit in one day, but that only made her stomach turn unpleasantly so she faced the door again, her heartbeat growing faster when she heard the familiar pattern of his footsteps drawing closer to the door. _

_He only allowed himself a miniscule pause when he opened the door wider to reveal her standing in the middle of the room before he proceeded straight to his desk, "You know you spend a lot more time in my office than I do, right?"_

_Emily drew a breath, "We need to talk about Hazelton." _

_Aaron barely glanced at her before his reassuring words flowed automatically from his mouth, "Don't worry about it. It'll blow over. Just give it some time." _

"_No, it won't." Emily replied steadfastly. She had been working up the nerve to have this conversation for the past couple hours and she wasn't about to back down now that her mind was made up. "The President can't put me first, not before critical legislation we need to get this country back on its feet." Aaron glanced up at her, his head shaking and she knew he was beginning to tune out her words and ignore the logic it took her so long to come to terms with herself, so she pushed on harder, intent on making him come to the right decision for the administration._

"_Stimulus bills, job creation-those things go through Appropriations, through Hazelton." _

_Aaron finally met her eyes as she came to a stop in front of his desk. "Emily, the President didn't accept my resignation when I leaked the Al Sakar video and he barely even knew me." A touch of impatience was beginning to coat his words and Emily bowed her head, chewing the inside of her cheek as she prepared herself for what she would have to say next. _

"_-You're his most trusted adviser, he's not going to accept yours." Aaron bent over the desk again, seemingly convinced that he hand won the argument but Emily raised her chin. _

"_I know." She said, surprising herself by the calmness of her voice when she felt like she was sinking into a pit of despondency, "Which is why you're going to accept it." Emily watched as Aaron's head lifted instantly so his eyes could meet hers, the shock and something else- betrayal? - reflected in his expression as she finally captured his full attention. Just as she had predicted, he hadn't expected her to take this route. She lifted her eyebrows in challenge as he recovered from his speechlessness. _

"_No." He said bluntly, renouncing her proposal without a second thought. _

"_It's your job to protect the President." She told him deliberately, "Even when that means protecting him from himself." _

_Aaron stepped out from behind his desk, advancing on her, "Emily, have you ever considered the fact that the President won't accept your resignation because he needs you here?" He said heatedly and Emily stood her ground resolutely, bracing herself to counter with a line about the importance of salvaging the administration's relationship with influential members of Congress._

_What she wasn't expecting was the flash of emotion that she couldn't quite place that crossed his face, and the softening of his voice at his next words, "And he's not the only one." _

Oh. Well, when you put it like that.

_She could've sworn her heart stopped at the look on his face. He was close enough that his breath tickled her face as he exhaled, the scent of his sharp cologne enveloping her, making it hard to think straight. A strange feeling she hadn't felt in a long time filled her belly- one that she later realized was butterflies- and her eyes searched his, her resolve crumbling when her brain finally caught on to the implication of his words. Aaron opened his mouth, drawing a bracing breath to say something that she would never know as a flicker of movement in the corner of the office drew their attention away from each other, ending the breathless moment between them. _

_In a flash, Aaron was stepping away from her, dipping his head to examine his shoes and Emily was fighting the blush creeping up her cheeks, her eyes wide as she stared at Seth's even wider ones. _

"_Hi." She said a beat too late. _

"_I can come back." He said, his words stilted, turning away to hide his gawking. _

_Emily and Aaron spoke over each other in their haste to return to a semblance of flippancy after an unexpectedly intimate moment, realizing too late that it only added to the pronounced awkwardness of the situation. _

_Seth hesitated, his eyes darting between the two who strained to keep a natural distance from each other, with Aaron standing straighter than usual and Emily fingering her necklace. After a beat, the Press Secretary stepped forward, announcing grandly, "This is what I like to call, 'I told you so.' A list of every media outlet in the country requesting an exclusive with the President to discuss, among other things, the Nassar murder investigation"_

_Aaron accepted the file from Seth, tossing the blue folder onto his desk after a quick look, "Feel free to tell them no, Seth. You know that." Emily couldn't tell if the irksome note in his tone was because of the Press Secretary's inopportune arrival, or his never-ending vexation with the hounding press. _

_Emily shrugged, "Can't blame them for trying. I mean, who doesn't want 5 minutes with the President?"_

_Seth nodded in agreement but when Emily turned back to Aaron, his expression was concentrated and she could practically hear the gears whirring in his head as he thought. _

"_Wait, what did you just say?"_

_She furrowed her brows at him before repeating her words, conscious that he was still standing really close to her. "I said, who doesn't want-," _

"_5 minutes with the President." Aaron finished, nodding, already moving to grab his coat off the back of the chair, "Emily, call the Venezuelan ambassador, and you tell him I'm on my way." _

_Seth looked as lost as she felt. "What just happened?" _

_Emily inhaled lightly, the feeling of his sleeve brushing against her back as Aaron hurried out of the office distracting her, a faint cloud of his scent teasing her thoughts as it brought her back to their earlier conversation. _

"_No idea." _

_Later, she would come to realize that the unrecognizable look on his face was one of vulnerability as he tentatively asked her out to dinner, making her stomach erupt into butterflies yet again under his soft gaze._

* * *

**Oh wow. Sorry for all the italics, guys! You probably know by now, this is story (no longer a one-shot turned two-shot, etc., etc.) is my favorite way of writing Emron scenes from early season 1, and I've always wanted to write about "The Blueprint" but could never get that story going on its own. Next and final part to come soon... don't forget to leave your thoughts! **


	6. Part 6

_Disclaimer: I don't own Designated Survivor._

* * *

**Pt VI**

-Emily-

"Emily," Aaron prompted gently and she turned back to him, blinking as she focused her attention back on him, "You okay?"

She nodded, finding her voice again, resisting the flush that rose to her cheeks at being caught daydreaming. "I should go talk to the President. Warn him about it."

"Yeah." Aaron watched her get up, "Thanks for the pens," He added, holding up the box and Emily nodded again, reluctant to leave his office for some reason.

"Uh, after you're finished telling the President,"

Emily turned gratefully back to the sound of his voice.

"Do you want to come over and strategize a response to the leaked footage?" Aaron asked evenly but Emily smirked.

"Right, strategize like when you wanted to have a talk and we had sex instead?"

Aaron smirked back at her, "Hey, I'm just making up for lost time." He turned serious, leaning forward in his chair, "We should try to come up with something to pitch to the senior staff and POTUS in the morning. We could pick up take out on the way." He wheedled and Emily smiled at how well he knew her.

"Sounds like a plan. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," He called after her, "I wouldn't want to be you right now."

...

-Aaron-

She found him later, still in his office with stacks of folders neatly prioritized, his tie loosened and sleeves rolled up carefully, never too relaxed in case he had to go see the President or Joint Chiefs for an emergency briefing.

"Hey, how'd it go?" He asked, putting down his pen.

Emily sighed, "About as well as to be expected. He's understandably upset but we'll have to find a way to deal with it once the media comes out with their version of the store. Let's get out of here."

Aaron piled the last of the 'top priority' folders into his briefcase and grabbed his coat with his free hand, "Yeah, let's go. You want to pick up Chinese on the way?"

Emily already had her coat on, her purse hanging off her arm as she waited in his doorway for him to catch up, "I'm actually feeling like pizza tonight."

"Okay." He dropped a casual kiss to the crown of her head without thinking and felt her freeze underneath him as her eyes flashed down the empty hallway. Aaron cleared his throat, stepping quickly past her, relieved that no one caught his slip-up. It wasn't until they were safely in the confines of his car that Emily breathed out a long sigh, the tension easing out of her shoulders with the exhalation of air.

They were quiet as they drove away from the White House; Aaron was focused on the road and Emily stared silently out the passenger-side window. Usually, he would have been concerned by their lack of communication, whether that be shop talk, an easy banter, or musings spoken aloud, there was rarely such a prolonged silence between them, even when they were just working on their own things. But this was a different time now. In the wake of the First Lady's accident, a mournful hush had fallen over DC and it was clear from last night that Emily was not excluded from that. Last night at the bar had been the exception when they had chatted away, but lately, things she would normally have discussed with Aaron and Seth were brushed away, unaddressed and she had retreated into herself.

_Tragedy changes people._

Emily had said that herself, once. And she was right. It had changed them. Changed the President. Changed her.

Aaron shifted his grip on the steering wheel, casting a quick look over at Emily who continued to stare steadily out the window, evidently lost in thought. He would have thought she had fallen asleep if it wasn't for the careful way that she held herself upright in her seat. She was uneasy, that much was clear. His careless kiss back at the White House had set her on edge, nervous about the gossip to follow, the hurt potentially delivered to their friend if anyone were to find out.

"Do you…" Her voice was soft, almost scratchy like it had been long unused. She cleared her throat but the timid tone remained, "Do you ever think that we could have happened sooner?"

Aaron looked back at her, caught off guard by her question when he had expected her to voice her regret about last night, to ask him to turn the car around so she could go make up with Seth, but Emily still refused to meet his eyes, keeping her expression hidden so he could only see the side of her face, unable to determine the truth intention behind her words.

"How soon?" He asked, trying to keep his voice light, curious, until he could fully gauge her mood. But in reality, it was a question that constantly dogged his mind from time to time since before he could remember.

"Before… the MacLeishes and everything."

"You mean before you accused me of being a treasonous traitor." Aaron quipped and when he looked over at her again, he was relieved to see her take his comment in stride with an annoyed look in his direction.

"Yes, that's what I meant by 'everything.'" Emily replied primly, ignoring Aaron's roguish grin and keeping her eyes straight ahead on the road.

"Wait, are we having the talk right now?"

"Well, we already had the sex." She shot back and this time, Aaron could see the ghost of a smile teasing her lips upward.

* * *

_It was just coffee, he told himself. Coffee, with her exact order, the way he had observed her request from the barista- not that he was paying particular attention to that detail. It just happened to stick in his mind. He hadn't missed the strange look the barista gave him after he placed his order, but Aaron just grimaced to himself, moving down the counter. Better get used to it. _

Wait, what?

_He shook off the assumptions behind that thought and grabbed the takeaway tray as soon as it was placed on the counter, making a mental note of which cup was hers with a quick "thanks" to the judge-y barista, snatching a couple packets of sugar on his way out of the coffee shop. _

"_Good morning, sir." His assistant greeted him when she caught sight of him making his way through the desks. _

"_Morning." Aaron nodded to her, "Any updates this morning?"_

"_Congresswomen Hookstraten is doing an exclusive on Foster-Simmons this morning, I heard word that a member of her staff is slated for a guest appearance on CNN later this week as well, and the Senate's stance on the confirmation hearings remains unchanged." His assistant paused, eyeing the two coffee cups in the tray, "And she's in there waiting for you already."_

_Aaron chose not to hear the knowing lilt in her voice, shifting his briefcase to his other hand to open the. _

"_Has she done any irrevocable damage to our nominee this morning?"_

_Emily was leaning against the table, her arms crossed, sunlight casting a light caramel glow to her hair as she looked over her shoulder to watch him enter his office. _

"_No, just continuing her never-ending quest to cast doubt on his qualifications." _

"_She'd be better off taking a cue from the Senate. They made it perfectly clear- no one wants to play politics with this confirmation." He said, handing Emily her cup. _

"_You should have seen her face when the vote came back unanimous." Emily accepted the coffee, a small, appreciative smile gracing her face as she lifted it to her lips. Aaron looked on unabashedly, wanting to see the moment she realized what was in the contents of the cup. _

"_You think steam could actually come out of someone's ears?" He continued lightly, ignoring the flutter anticipation in his mid-section as Emily swallowed, then frowned down at the paper cup in her hands. _

_Her tone was disbelieving and Aaron failed to hide his smirk, quickly taking a sip of his own coffee. "You remembered my order." _

"_Double Americano, 3 pumps vanilla, 1 pump caramel?" He listed off smoothly, "It's too ridiculous to forget." He let his smile linger on his face as she took another sip, a light blush dusting her cheeks and his eyes followed the upturn of her lips when she cut her eyes away from him._

_This. This was what he wanted. Coffee in the mornings with her, watching the news, trading light conversation, the sheets strewn-._

"_Hey,"_

_For the first and quite possibly the last time, Aaron was thankful for Seth's interruption, pushing the straying thoughts out of Aaron's head, the kind that had been making very sudden and unwanted appearances in his head as of late. _

"_Why are you guys so calm? Don't you check your email?"_

…

_It was like everything finally clicked into place. Aaron slipped on his coat hurriedly, rushing down the hall, the inspiration from Emily's words fueling his thoughts as all the details came together to form the coherent picture that he had been chasing all day long. The whole day he had watched Emily and the President struggle though this mess with the leaked memo on Senator Hazelton, feeling helpless as yet another personal attack struck the President and reduced Emily's usually bright eyes to a troubled countenance. _

"_I need a car to the Venezuelan embassy." He urgently told the aide at the desk, who immediately sprang into action. Aaron slid his hands into his pockets, his fingers curling around the crumpled receipt from the coffee shop from that morning. His thoughts drifted back to the exchanged he shared with Emily before Seth's arrival, wondering what he would have said to her if Seth hadn't interrupted them. All he knew was that neither of them was about to let that moment sit unaddressed, not when it brought them both to the tipping point of whatever it was between them. Neither, come to think of it, would Seth, with is shit-eating grin and astute observations of who brought whom coffee. _

"_The car is ready, Mr. Shore." _

_The ride to the embassy was short, focused. A staffer was waiting at the entrance for him as he pulled up and was escorted inside. _

_Gabriel Thompson was different in person than in his picture, provided by the NSA, less of a threat to National Security when his face wasn't framed by the ubiquitous blue briefing folders of the White House. He looked kinder, somehow wiser, the way a man looked when life had aged him steadily and with meaning. But there was also a cynicism to him, a sort of melancholy that emanated from him, a new edge that didn't seem to quite fit his gentle-looking demeanor. _

"_Mr. Thompson, I'm Aaron Shore, Chief of Staff to the President." Aaron strode into the room, stopping just short of the sunlight that fell from the window which Thompson stood in front of. _

"_I know who you are." He replied ironically, "I'm on Venezuelan soil, Mr. Shore. You can't arrest me." Thompson pointed out calmly, in the manner of a man who had all the details figured out. _

"_I'm well aware of diplomatic law."_

"_Well then, why are you here?"_

"_Because I know what you want." Aaron's voice was just as even. It was his job to have all the details figured out. But maybe his tone was still a little too forced. _

_Thompson just chuckled at him, "Really? CNN says I want radical transparency, the New York Times says I want anarchy." The older man turned back to the younger, "What's your guess, Mr. Shore?"_

"_Five minutes with the President." _

_Thompson turned his head, but didn't speak and Aaron moved into the sunlight. _

"_What makes you so sure I want to see the President?"_

_Aaron began to explain the logic he had managed to string together after a full day of chasing, his impatience growing with each word as Thompson remained calm as ever. _

"_Am I getting warm?"_

_Thompson answered simply, "Yes." _

_Aaron scoffed, his temper rising and he moved away, walking deeper into the room, "Hell of a way to get an audience with the leader of the free world." _

"_We use the tools we have, Mr. Shore." _

_Normally, Aaron would have agreed with that kind of sentiment, but this was different. "Yes, but you've hurt, perhaps irreparably, a good friend, a brilliant, loyal adviser to the President." Aaron told him curtly, leaning against the table while Thompson continued to stare out the window, "And being that I am the one person who can grant you access to the President, why should I reward you with his time?" _

"_Because I had to hang Emily Rhodes in the wind to get your attention." _

_Emphasis can be a tricky thing. It has the power to change the meaning of even the simplest sentence and bury it under implications and charged assumptions to communicate the true intentions behind the words. _

"_Because I _had_ to hang Emily Rhodes in the wind to get your attention." Implied that Thompson had no other choice, she was the best option at his disposal._

"_Because I had to hang Emily Rhodes in the wind to get your _attention_." Meant Emily Rhodes would always draw his attention before all other matters. _

"_Because I had to hang Emily Rhodes in the wind to get _your_ attention." Confirmed to Aaron that Big Brother was indeed, always watching. _

_Either way, all those different word plays compromised Aaron and his apparent not-so-secret desires. _

"_But I'm also the guy who can save her career." _

…

_Her soft knock pulled his attention to the door and she walked in, her back straighter than usual. _

"_I didn't get a chance to thank you earlier for saving my job today. Thank you." She told him sincerely, but Aaron waved his hand. _

"_Don't even mention it." He would have done it a million times over if it meant she would stay in the White House with him. "You're a good employee." He added diplomatically, pushing away his less-than-professional thoughts about the Special Adviser thanking him in alternate ways. _

_Emily seemed to see right through him as she settled against the couch, crossing her arms with a smirk, "You did all that to keep a good employee around?" She lifted her chin and met his eyes boldly, the usual challenge back in her eyes, but this time, there was a softer, teasing glint in her look. _

_Aaron gave in first at the quirk of her eyebrows, "I may have other reasons," He conceded slowly, placing his hands on the desk, never wanting to be the one to fully cave so easily. She held his gaze for another few moments as they tested each other's resolve in a game that never seemed to end between them. _

"_Well, I have to work to do, if you think of any of those reasons, you let me know, okay?" Emily responded demurely before turning away to walk languidly out of his office. Damn, it was unfair how sexy she made even a simple task such as leaving his office look. _

_Aaron didn't need to see her face to know that an unmistakable smile was making its way across her lips and for a sudden, uncontrollable moment, he yearned to see the adorable blush on her face that always accompanied that shy smile reserved just for him. _

"_Hey Emily." _

_Her bright eyes met his and his heart thudded loudly in his chest. _

"_When you're done with work tonight…" Aaron paused, trying to keep his voice from shaking and revealing the nervous fluttering in his abdomen, "Dinner?" was all he could manage to get out without stuttering like he did with the debacle of the Michigan phone call. _

_But either way, he was rewarded with a broad smile from Emily that she didn't even try to hide as she gave a small shrug, "Okay."_

* * *

"Care to share this wonderful memory you've thought up?"

Aaron turned back to Emily, realizing that he hadn't responded to her in a while, "Uh, yeah." There was just _something_ about her that made his usually suave self revert back to a bumbling idiot, struggling to ask the cute girl on his 4th grade playground to hold his hand. His eyes traced the features of her face, highlighted in the soft glow of the streetlights, watching her lips form the words as she spoke.

"You can go now, the light is green."

"Right," His eyes focused back on the road, his free hand itching to cross the center console and grasp her fingers in her lap, wanting to be reminded of how soft her skin felt.

"So did you think of it?"

"I think… I think I didn't go all the way to Venezuelan soil just to save the job of a good employee."

Emily laughed quietly, "I don't know who was a bigger pain in my ass that day, Gabriel Thompson or Seth with all his interruptions and crashing our dinner date with drinks."

"Well, I think both people were integral to that night. Thompson gave me excuse to help you and Seth got you all liquored up so I could get that kiss out of you."

But instead of laughing, Emily sighed and Aaron grew somber as well.  
"Did you talk to Seth yet?"

Emily bit her lip, looking away, "I wouldn't even know what to say at this point. Aaron, what are we doing here?"

He pretended to ponder her question seriously, "Well, given the recent events, I'd say we could safely chalk this all up to post-disaster acceleration." He cut his eyes to her, "Well, at least I can."

Emily glared at him, "Very helpful. Thanks."

Aaron swallowed his smirk, "Okay, I'm sorry. Look, Emily," His hand reached out and her hand met his halfway, tangling their fingers together. He turned to fully face her as they rolled up to another stoplight, "Will you marry me?"

Emily threw him a look of pure disdain as she yanked her hand from out of his, throwing his hand back in the direction of the steering wheel, but he didn't miss the begrudging smile she tried to cover up by turning back to the window while he chuckled and continued to drive.

* * *

**Thank you everyone for reading! **


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